Garment bag light



y 6, 1961 P. STARNIRI 2,984,736

GARMENT BAG LIGHT Filed Feb. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 4

Fig. .9

Paf .Slarniri 1N VEN TOR.

y 16, 1951 P. STARNIRI 2,984,736

GARMENT BAG LIGHT Filed Feb. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pat Siam/7'1 1N VENTOR.

Mm BY EM! United States Patent GARMENT BAG LIGHT Pat Starniri, 1028 Elm St., Easton, Pa.

Filed Feb. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 794,157

1 Claim. (Cl. 240--6.4)

This invention relates to garment bags and more particularly to an illuminated garment bag.

An object of the invention is to provide a garment bag with an electrically operative lamp which is automatically energized when the garment bag is opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment bag wherein the interior is illuminated to facilitate use of the garment bag as soon as the slide fastener of the garment bag is partially opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide improvements in a garment bag which enable the garment bag to be much more easily used, particularly in a dark place in that the interior of the garment bag is sufliciently illuminated to enable a person to handle the garments in the bag, that is, to engage them with or disengage them from the hanger bar in the bag.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric light circuit assembly in a garment bag which is simple in construction and very easily operated, the operation being automatic with the initial movement of the slider of a slide fastener found along one side of a conventional garment bag.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a garment bag in a closed position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing one method of supporting the batteries for the electrical illumination circuit in the garment bag.

Figure 4 is an elevational View of a pair of conventional batteries showing them connected in accordance with the invention.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken approximately n the line 5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the lamp unit in Figure 5.

Figure 9 is a schematic wiring diagram.

In the accompanying drawings there is a conventional garment bag 10 which, for the purpose of illustration only is constructed of a plurality of flexible side walls 14, a top wall 16 and a bottom wall (not shown) connected to the four side walls. One of the side walls 14- has a slide fastener 18 including a slider 20. Generally the slide fastener is attached near the top wall 16 and continues downwardly to a point close to the bottom of the garment bag. One or more hangers may be attached to hanger bar 22, the latter fitting within the top of the garment bag and being secured in position in any suitable manner. Hanger bar 24 is suspended from wires 26 and 28 attached to the hanger frame 22, and is used for engaging conventional coat hangers thereover. The garment bag described above is absolutely conventional, it being understood that other types of garment bags i.e. different manufacturers makes and styles, may be used with the lighting system 30 installed therein. The lighting system constitutes the improvement in the garment bag, and the improvement is applicable to any type of garment bag.

Lighting system 30 entails a simple circuit (Figure 9) having battery 32 as a source of electrical potential, a lamp 34 wired therewith, and a switch 36. Electric lamp 34 is threaded in a lamp socket 38 (Figures 5-8) that forms a part of lighting unit 40. The lighting unit has a small plastic housing 42 made with a plurality of walls, one wall 44 being angulated and having an aperture within which to accommodate socket 38. Since wall 44 is angulated, the electric lamp is directed inwardly and downwardly of the garment bag. (Figure 2) to direct illumination properly within the bag. Another Wall 46 of housing 46 has a vertical slot 48 in which combined switch operator and contact 50 is operable. The contact constitutes a part of switch 36 and is preferably made of a spring or a spring metal substance with the inner end anchored. The contact projects through slot 48 and also through the space between the sides of slide fastener 18. The contact 50 is adapted to be operated by the slider 20 and is held in the elevated position by the slider when the bag is in the closed position. But as soon as the slider 20 is initially moved downwardly, the inherent resilience of contact 50 springs the contact to a lowered position (Figure 7) at which it engages fixed contact 54-. Fixed contact 54 extends transversely across the lower part of slot 48 and it may be made of a generally U-shaped bar 56 of conductive material having its ends attached to binding posts 58 and 60 that are in apertures in wall 46. The anchoring of the inner end of contact 50 may be achieved in a number of ways, one of which is to use a binding post 62 attached to a vertical part of wall 44. A bolt and nut is illustrated as a typical binding post 62, although manufacturing techniques may be adopted to eliminate the bolt and nut for a more inexpensive rivet or some other type of conventional fastener. Conductive strip 64 is in contact with binding post 62, for example by having a hole 66 in it through which the binding post extends, and the conductor strip 64 has a threaded aperture, previously referred to as socket 38 receiving electric lamp 34. Alternatively, a conventional socket could be used and soldered or otherwise secured to the conductive strip 64. The center contact of electric lamp 34 is in engagement with contact 70. Here again, a bolt and nut are shown as a typical contact, but it may be substituted by a more inexpensive fixed contact.

Conductors 72 and 74 are secured to binding posts 60 and 70 respectively, and they extend therefrom, entering a common sheath 75 for engagement with the opposite ends of battery 32.

Battery 32 is preferably made of a pair of one and one-half volt dry cells, and these may be supported in a number of ways within a garment bag. The preferred method is to connect the cells and 82 together and rest the cells at their juncture on a part of frame 22 so that they are disposed between frame 22 and the top wall 16 of the garment bag (Figures 2 and 4). A more expensive method is to place the cells 81 and 83 in a container 84 and to hang the container on frame 22 or on bar 224. When container 84 is used, upper and lower contacts 85 and 86 are required, each having an approximately U- shaped resilient metal conductor 87 and 88 in engagement with the opposite ends of the pair of batteries and secured to the contacts 85 and 86. Casing 84- is preferably made of plastic and may be furnished with a hanger 89 to facilitate attaching the casing to frame 22 or hanger bar 24.

By inspecting Figures 3, 4, 5 and 8 it will be seen that a number of conventional snap fasteners are used. Snap fasteners 90 and 91 are used to attach the unit 40 to the garment b ag wall 14 adjacent to the upper end of the slide fastener 18. One section of each of the snap fasteners 90 and 91 is fastened in a conventional way to wall 14, and the other section of each snap fastener 90 and 91 is secured to wall 46 or housing 42. Accordingly the lighting unit 40 is easily snapped in place.

Snap fasteners 92, 93 and 94 are connected with dry cells 80 and 82. These may be soldered to the top and bottom respectively of the conventional dry cells, with a male and female part of snap fastener 92 engaging to hold the batteries in alignment with each other, and the snap fasteners 93 and 94 used to connect the ends of the wires '72 and 74 in sheath 75 to the batteries. The same snap fastener arrangement, consisting of snap fasteners 96 and 97 connected to contacts 85 and 86, is used for establishing an electrical connection with the dry cells 83 and 81 in the casing 84. By virtue of the snap fastener construction on the outer ends of wire 72 and 74-, on the casing 84 when the casing embodiment is used, on the cells 80 and 82 and on casing 44 all component parts of the garment bag-like system are very easily installed, removed and in case it becomes necessary, for servicing.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In a garment bag which has side walls, an opening for access to the interior of the garment bag and which has means by which to support the garment bag in an elevated position, the improvement comprising an illumination circuit structure having a lamp socket mounted Within the garment bag, a switch in said circuit to control the energization of said socket means for actuating said switch, a slide fastener connected with the opening in said garment bag and having a slide, said switch controlling means including a resilient arm projecting through the slide fastener controlled opening and held in one posi tion by said slide, said switch arm being normally swung to the switch closed position when said slide is moved in a direction to open the garment bag opening, a casing to which said switch and said lamp socket are connected, said casing having a slot through which said arm projects, said switch including a fixed contact near said slot and against which said resilient arm is sprung to close the the switch, and means removably supporting said casing Within the interior of the garment bag.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,304,387 Whiting Dec. 8, 1942 2,320,409 Cohen June 1, 1943 2,565,895 Wadland Aug. 28, 1951 

